Tender Moments
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: Birthday fic for Niccunningham: Following the previous stories, here is a bunch of sweet family moments between our favorite Care Bear Cousin Raccoon and his two parents.
1. Feeling under the Weather

**This series has officially become longer then I had expected and surpassed any of my other stories. In any case, I enjoy writing about Care Bears and I do very much enjoy this universe that has been created. Thank you Niccunningham for suggesting these shorts, and I hope you have a very happy birthday!**

**I own nothing. Care Bears belong to their rightful owners and idea for this story goes to ****Niccunningham****.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

For a land high above the clouds, it might come to surprise that the Kingdom of Care-A-Lot would get any form of precipitation. While it was true that living on the clouds did prevent much more drastic forms of weather, like any other country, the weather and seasons changing still had it's effect on the land.

One day, within Bright Heart's third year of life, the little Raccoon found himself indoors while a soft rainstorm poured outside. His parents were away on a Caring Mission along with the others, leaving him in the home under the supervision of Grams Bear and in the company of Hugs and Tugs. The three of them were currently situated by the window sill, watching as rain fell and collected on the glass, where they would make up games, such as betting on which water drops of their choosing would make it to the bottom of the window first.

While they stood their, giggling and cheering on the drops, Grams came out of a nearby room, carrying a modestly-sized box with the word 'TOYS' labeled in black marker on the front. Even though the book was full, and she was getting on in her years, it was nothing the senior bear couldn't handle. She walked towards the center of the room and plopped it softly down on the rug before calling the children.

"Cubs! I have something for you to see!"

Looking away from their water race and immediately taking notice of the very appealing box in front of Grams, they broke away from the wall and went to sit in a semicircle before her.

"Whatcha got there, Grams," Tugs asked, curiously poking at the cardboard.

"Well it would appear that I happened to find some toys that have yet to be played with and I decided that you three would be the perfect candidates for the job." The trio cheered as she lifted up the covers, revealing a treasure trove of toys inside.

"Hey, I remember these," Bright Heart was first to exclaim, reaching in and pulling out a remote control cloud car and the remote. "I got this for my birthday. Haven't played much with it though. Wonder why?"

Hugs reached over beside him and pulled out a toy train, and took to rolling it on the rug. "It's because you've been going to school and you have been spending more time outside with us," she replied, then proceeding to mimic train noises. Beside her, Tugs nodded and pulled out a star-buddy plushie, to which he immediately brought to his chest and snuggled his head against the soft, yellow fabric. "It's also because you've gotten sick lately and maybe they didn't want these to get co-co-"

"Con-tam-in-at-ed," Grams offered, slowly enunciating each syllable.

"Yeah! Contraminased," he slurred, then shaking his head upon realizing his mistake.

"Con-tam-min-at-ed," Grams said again, more slowly this time.

"Con-tam-inated," he said, then puffing out his chest and grinning at his accomplishment.

"Contaminated," Bright Heart repeated. "That means gets germs on things, right?"

"Yes dear. Remember, you were coughing quite a bit, so your parents removed your toys for a while to ensure they didn't get all germy and that some other person might catch the sickness," Grams explained. Bright Heart nodded in understanding.

"Have you've guys ever gotten sick before," he asked. Tugs shook his head, though Hugs nodded her.

"Yes we have. Hugs and I, when we were very, very little, we got something that made our tummies hurt and made us cry a lot," she said. After thinking for a few seconds, Tugs remembered the event she was telling and nodded as well.

"Yeah, me and Hugs felt awful. But then the others gave us a warm bath and made sure that we were taken care of. It quickly passed afterwards." He paused for a second, then turned towards Grams, who was quietly sitting in the armchair nearby, knitting in silence. "Grams, what was the name of the things we caught."

Never looking away from her clicking knitting needles and soft pink yarn, Grams replied, "I believe it was Colic."

"Colic, okay," he replied, resuming snuggling his toy.

"So when you both got colic, did you have to move your toys away so that they couldn't get contaminated," Bright Heart asked. Both the cubs looked at him, then each other, then to him again, before shaking their heads.

"No, we just took a bath, got nice and comfy, and slept the rest of the night," Hugs replied. Bright Heart gave another nod, then drawing his attention back to the controller in his hands.

"Well that's good. I'm glad we're all healthy and not sick," he replied. "And I'm glad we get to play with these toys of mine."

With a grin and the flick of a switch, the motor on the tiny car began whirring and soon the cloud mobile began softly flying through the air. As the kids played with their toys, Grams gave a smile chuckle and smile, before finishing another row to the scarf she was making.

* * *

By the time Bright Heart's parents had come home, the rain had finished falling and the sun had just begun to set below the horizon. The two were in rain gear, since their mission had unfortunately been under all the clouds where a much larger storm had occurred, but they were grateful to finally be back home.

As they approached the doorway, Grams was already present, smiling at them as she held both Hugs and Tugs in each arm. The two were happily snoozing against her chest and on her shoulder, exhausted from a full day if playing indoor.

"Thank you for taking care of them Grams, I hope they weren't too much trouble," Noble Heart said. Grams shook her head and smiled.

"Not at all, they were all wonderfully behaved. I enjoy taking care of them and they all appeared to have had a wonderful day, despite the rain. Bright Heart is in his room right now if you want to go see him," she responded. Nodding fondly at the lavender bear, they bid their farewells as she went out to bring her own charges home. The two cubs shivered as the cooler air touched their fur, but the gentle lull of her heartbeat, combined with the softness of her fur and shawl, kept them from waking.

As the two shrugged off their rain hear on the nearest coat rack, Noble Heart began the climb upstairs towards their son's room, "I'm going to go check on him," he announced.

"I'll be in the kitchen, starting up dinner," True Heart replied, before chuckling to herself. "It's a bit late, though at least we won't be going to bed with empty tummies now."

Chuckling in reply, he made his way up the stairs and down the hallway towards the closed door that was his son's room. Giving a short knock, he called out," Hey son, we're home."

It was quiet for a few seconds, though his ears perked up when he heard a small, almost whimpering reply of, "dad." Concern began creeping up over him at that response and he grabbed the knob and slowly turned it before peeking in.

"You alright son," he said, examining the room before finally spotting his son on the bed. At first he thought that his response night have been partially from him waking his son up, but then it became clear to him that Bright Heart was very much awake, clutching his stomach tightly, and his face was scrunched up in what appeared to be pain. "Son," he asked again, entering the room and coming near to his son's side.

"Daddy," Bright Heart whimpered. To his horror, Noble Heart saw a tear trickle down from his closed eyelid. "H-hurts," he moaned.

Noble Heart's paternal instincts went into gear instantly and he quickly looked over him. "Son, where does it hurt?," he asked.

"Muh- my tummy, my legs, dad," he stammered out, before began crying. "I think I got colic," he wailed.

Though Noble Heart began to feel panicked, he channeled his leadership skills and addressed the situation at hand. Seeing that True Heart was better at medicine and stuff, she might be able to determine what was really wrong. With remarkable precision, he reached over and picked up his son, wrapping him in his blanket. Bright Heart moaned again and buried his head into his father's fur.

True Heart was in the kitchen at the moment, debating on whether or not sandwiches or pancakes would make a better dinner meal. Both were pretty good, and she wasn't on planning on doing too much cooking due to the time, though as she was deciding between the two, she heard the sound of muffled crying. Setting down the bread and the pancake box, she walked into the living room, gasping as she saw her husband walk down the stairs with their child, swaddled and crying against him.

"What's wrong." she asked, dinner forgotten as she approached them.

"He says his stomach and legs aren't feeling well," Noble Heart explained. "He says it may be colic."

"Colic? Oh dear, that's the third illness he's gotten so far." Turning to the sobbing raccoon, she cooed softly, offering to take him from his father. "Brighty? Son? Is there anything else that you're feeling sick in?" He shook his head, but still pressed his head against her neck, searching for comfort and relief.

"Well if it is colic, then we should definitely do something about that. Honey, please run upstairs and start drawing a warm bath. Not hot, just warm. I'm going to get some fluids within him before coming up to give him a bath. It should help," she explained.

"On it," he replied, trotting up the stair. Bright Heart was still sobbing, so True Heart kept murmuring softly to him and brushing away his tear.

"Don't cry sweetheart. You're father and I are here and we're going to make things all better." After pausing a moment, she smiled and asked, "would you like me to make you some hot cocoa to drink? You can even have it while in the tub."

Sniffling, he managed to look up and nod, cracking a small smile.

"Well alright then. Let's go get you taken care of."

* * *

By the time the water was drawn to a good level and put at the ideal temperature, the two of them entered the bathroom. A sippy cup filled with a warm cup of chocolaty delight was in Bright Heart's grasp and he took small sips of it now and then. Even though he was hurting, the taste of the sweet drink helped make him feel better. Besides, no one could beat his mom's hot cocoa.

"I've left the powder out and there's some warm milk leftover if you want to make some hot cocoa for yourself dear," she explained. Noble Heart nodded, before taking him from her.

"I'll get some after we've taken care of this," he responded.

Carefully removing the blanket from around Bright Heart, he softly set the young kit into the pool of warm water. Bright Heart moaned a bit as his blanket was removed and replaced with the tub of water. His limbs seemed to curl up as he gave another cry at how his tummy felt. Both parents leaned down and began softly speaking him to him, reassuring him that he would be alright and that it would all pass soon. They gave him gently tummy rubs and head/shoulder pats to sooth him.

Slowly, but surely, Bright Heart began to relax, his cries slowly turning to just whimpers. The sippy cup soon was emptied and Bright Heart began to nod off. After spending a good amount of time in the tub, the parents drained the water and quickly re-swaddled him again in a towel. Together, they returned to his room and swapped the towel for his pajamas and his blanket.

"I promise you should feel a lot better in the morning, sweetie," True Heart reassured, giving him some kisses to his forehead. Bright Heart nodded, his lips drawn in a small frown, though already the soft hand of sleep was already beginning to null the pain. Giving a yawn, he began to wriggle down into his covers more comfortably..

"Thanks mom. Thanks dad. Goodnight," he whispered, before shutting his eyes.

"Goodnight son," they both replied. Noble Heart walked over and flipped on the switch to his star-shaped night light before joining True Heart out the door.

* * *

A few minutes later, the two parents were in the living room, the remainder of the hot cocoa in their mugs while they sat in the armchairs. A log had been placed in the nearby fireplace and it now roared to life with a comfortable, dancing fire.

"Poor dear, this is the third illness he's had in his three years and the second in the last one," Noble Heart said, clutching his cream-colored mud while steam wafted from the sweet liquid.

"Mm. Well he is rather young and hasn't developed his immune system fully yet. Thankfully colic is a very short-lasting disease, though perhaps we should take him to the doctor in the morning, just to check things out." She took a sip from her violet cup, the warmth soothing her nerves a bit.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm just grateful that he's okay now." She nodded, before standing up and walking over to him, sitting down beside him.

"As am I." She stretched out her arm and wrapped it around his back in a comforting embrace. "He's a good boy. We're so lucky to have him."

He reciprocated the embrace, going further to kiss her cheek sweetly. "And we're good parents too."

The two stayed in the chair for quite some time after, just cherishing each other's company, until well after the flames died down and the night went on.

* * *

**I have a second part for this collection of shorts planned. I hope everyone reading this enjoyed it and once again I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to ****Niccunningham. Please leave a like and/or a review and I'll see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	2. Education in Pronunciation

**I said I would make a part two to this collection of shorts and I will keep to my word. Just to let anyone whose curious, this one is taking place after "Growing Up".**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Once Bright Heart had grown up a bit and was no longer considered a baby, he was now old enough to go to school and interact with cubs his own age. It was there he had made friends with the other two younger cubs, the twins Hugs and Tugs, and had begun learning and playing alongside them.

However, despite this being a critical time for him to receive care and attention and love and affection from his parents, unfortunately, due to their profession, they could not always be there for him. While they had been making exceptions to going out on Caring Mission, at times there were too many factors or missions within the world that prevented them from refusing to go.

So, with begrudging resignation, his parents requested that the Care Bear senior, Grams Bear, take care of Bright Heart while they went on missions. This was of no trouble to her, as she already had two grandcubs, Hugs and Tugs, as well had basically aided the two new parents in raising every one of the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins. Though she was no longer eligible to go out on missions, due to her aging body, she still was highly respected and loved by the others and was still helpful with her abilities to teach and care for the young.

Needless to say, leaving Bright Heart in the care of Grams for awhile was the perfect decision. Additionally, Bright Heart was very fond of Grams and vice versa.

On one particular day, the parents found themselves at Grams' door, with the painful request that she would have to take care of him for a week. Unfortunately for them, the world was appearing to get worse everyday, with more and more areas of disharmony and apathy arising. This required the help of all the Care Bears and it would take quite a bit of time to settle things down in the world and restore some peace and harmony in the world.

Grams agreed, promising that Bright Heart would be fully taken care of in the meanwhile. The two expressed their gratitude to her and sadly bid farewell to their son. Though he was still young and inexperienced, he seemed to understand what was going on, reaching out and begging his parents to stay with him. Though nearing crying, they promised to him that they would be back sooner then he knew it and that he would have a great time at Grams.

The promise placated him, though he still frowned and resisted crying as he watched his parents climb into their cloud car, waving and blowing kisses to him as they flew off.

* * *

It was on the third day that the loneliness began really setting in. Though being at Grams house was wonderful, he still yearned for his parents arrival. The young raccoon would find himself looking more and more out the window, expectantly looking for the cloud car that might come home early, bringing along his parents. As the hours ticked on, he sighed loudly.

"Bright Heart?"

Turning around, he saw the warm, concerned expression of Grams Bear. Though wrinkles were beginning to show, it hardly betrayed the strong, loving individual inside.

"Hi Grams," he replied, glancing back out the window.

"I was hoping you could come with me to the backyard. I've decided to hold class outside today."

Bright Heart's ears perked up at the the word 'class'. Ever since he had started school, he had been engrossed in all the wonderful, fascinating things that occurred n the world he knew. He loved learning about new things, figuring out how they worked, then relaying everything that he knew to his... parents.

His excitement dimmed somewhat, though he still nodded and picked himself up and walked over to Grams. She gave a friendly smile and offered her hand for him to grasp as they walked towards the back door.

An easel with some paper was standing on top of the lawn, along with some pillows for seats on the ground. Tugs and Hugs were already seated out there, along with, to his mild surprise, the familiar light blue, warm orange, and minty green forms of Loyal Heart Dog, Proud Heart Cat, and Gentle Heart Lamb. The three older Care Bear Cousins turned and smiled at him before pointing at a spare cushion for him to sit on. Bright Heart shyly approached and sat down beside them and the twins, drawing up his tail near to him as he sat down.

"Well class, now that we're all here, I'm happy to say that I have a special treat for you all today," Grams exclaimed, before flipping one of the papers on the easel back, revealing a chart with Hugs, Tugs, and Bright Heart's names written at the top. "I've decided to make today's lesson a bit of a competition. Today you will be paired up with one of the older Care Bear cousins and you will be assigned a letter or color to find words associated with said item."

A hand went up in the crowd, followed by Grams pointing at the cub. "Why are the older members here to help us, Grams," Hugs piped up. Bright Heart ears perked up at that. Yes, why were these three here and now out on the missions down on earth? Couldn't they help out while his parents could stay here and spend time with him?

"That's a good question, dear. You see, these three are still a bit inexperienced in their skills. We thought it might be best if they practiced their skills by assisting you in your mission to learn about the aspects of caring before they can take on their first mission." Bright Heart's ears went down. Though the logic was reasonable enough, he kinda had hoped that this wasn't the case and that his parents could just trade with them so they could be here with him.

Another paw raised. "Grams, aren't competitions not very caring? I've heard stories about how competitions and things like that where they've caused more bad then good," Tugs inquired. Again Bright Heart's ears went up in curiosity. Tugs was right in that some competitions like races and stuff could end with more harm done then good. Though he also knew a different side to the story. He quickly raised his hand up before Grams could answer.

"Can I answer this one, Grams?" He grinned as she nodded before turning over to his friend. "I think what Grams is wanting to teach us beside words is how to compete without being mean. We can still do fun stuff like races and things without turning sour when things don't go our way. Right Grams?" When she nodded, he beamed with pride.

"Indeed dear. As long as we can remember to treat our fellow competitors fairly and learn how to accept both winning and losing graciously, as well as remembering that these things are all in the sake of good fun, then it is alright to compete." Tugs nodded, comprehending the subject more clearly now.

"Now, if there are no more questions, let me explain the rules of the game." Grams pulled out two glass jars behind her, one with three pieces of closed paper inside and the other with many more. "Now, when I call your name, you will come up and pick out a single piece of paper from each jar. One of them has the name of the partner you will get for this challenge, the other has letter on it. Once you have both, you will get together with your partner and spend fifteen minutes going around and looking for something related to the given topic. For example, get the letter 'Q', then the word 'quilt' might be a good choice.

Additionally, I want you all to write down as many words you can related to your given topic, once the minutes are up, you will all return your lists to me so I may check them. And, to make this more fun, there will be prizes for how many words you got and who has the most words of all." Excited gasps filled their air at the bonus of a prize.

"Does everyone understand the rules of the game?" At the nods of everyone, Grams smiled and stood up. "Very well then, when I call your name, please come up, choose one paper from each jar and get a sheet of paper and pencil from me before going to stand by your partner. Please wait until everyone has completed this before we can start." She paused for a moment before calling out the first name. "Tugs!"

Said bear rushed up to the jar, plucking out a paper from each of them. He grinned as he opened and read them both. "I got Proud Heart and the letter 'S'." He then took the paper and pencil from Grams before rushing over to his partner. She smiled and knelt as he approached, allowing for him to hug her. She meowed softly in surprise when his paws began grasping at her fur and tugging it softly, though she shook her head, as if she should expected it.

"Hugs!"

The pink bear got up and came over, a bit slower then her brother, but still excitably. She repeated the same actions as her brother, before loudly exclaiming, "R," and charged at Gentle Heart, catching the lamb of guard with a strong hug. Said sheep bleated lightly, before returning the hug.

"Well Bright Heart, it looks like you and Loyal Heart will be paired together. Please come up and choose a slip and get your items." He obediently got up and walked over, plucking his paw into the jar, swirling it around for a few seconds, before selecting on, pulling it out, and reading it out loud. "B!" He then came over to the dog, who seemed very cheerful to have him.

"Now then, when I blow this whistle, you all will have fifteen minutes to go out and find things that are related to your color or letter. You will write down the name of the object or thing related to the topic for a point. I will call for you to return when the time is up. Do you all understand the rules of the game?"

"Yes Grams," they all chorused back.

"Then let the game begin." With a loud tweet from her whistle, the three groups split off to go out and find things for the game.

* * *

"I already thought of some things that start with the letter 'B'," Bright Heart said, almost immediately after they had dispatched. The blue dog turned to him and smiled warmly at him.

"Oh really?" He pointed towards the paper and pencil. "Then lets write them down." Bright Heart smiled and began writing down the words.

"There's 'blue', 'brown', 'bird', 'ball'," he relayed, only to be interrupted as the dog immediately and excitedly began looking around for the object.

"Ball? Where's the ball,' he enthusiastically called. He turned and grinned as he saw a blue ball sitting among some brown lose dirt while a bird tweeted next to it. The bird then squawked as the dog bounded for it, immediately drawing it close and hugging it tightly. After a few second of this, he seemed to realize what he had been doing previously and came back to Bright Heart's side.

"Sorry about that. Those are some good words to start with," he replied. Bright Heart nodded.

"Thanks. I've also got the words 'black', like our eyes, 'bark' like the sounds you make." Loyal Heart chuckled at that. "And I also got 'bear', like Hugs and Tugs and Grams and mom..."

He trailed off after that, growing silent and suddenly uncomfortable. As he adverted his eyes, Loyal Heart took notice of it and drew near to him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The young kit just muttered in response. "Are you alright?" He didn't reply to that. A few seconds passed before he asked again.

"Oh. Are you missing your parents?"

Bright Heart looked stunned for a moment, before nodding slowly and dipping his head down again. He didn't even react when Loyal Heart sit down next to him and drew him in close.

"Listen kid, I know this must be difficult for you, what with your parents being away and all that. I don't really like it either. I mean they practically raised me and the other bears and cousins by themselves and it can be hard knowing that they have responsibilities to fulfill."

"Well aren't I a responsibility too," he asked, a bit louder then expected. He immediately flinched back in shame after the word left.

"Of course you are, kid. Out of all of us, you're the one they love the most. You think they like being away from you. If it weren't for me and the others still figuring out how to work on our caring missions, your parents would be here right now. But unfortunately, that's not how thing are right now. We're not yet ready and they have to fulfill our spots in the meanwhile."

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath of the incoming breeze, letting the silenced sink in for a second. "There's a lot of uncaring, cruelty, and disharmony in the world. It's sad that it juts plains exists, but it's even more sad that because of it, more and more of us, including your parents, need to go out and help settle the matters on earth, to help fix the problems causing all of this badness. That doesn't mean you aren't important, not in the slightest bit, it's just that sometimes things need to get done in order for the good things to happen in return."

Bright Heart was quiet for a while, pondering all the things being said. Even though it made him feel sad, his reasoning did make sense. However...

"Is it still alright that I miss them? And that I'm upset that they're not here," he asked. Loyal Heart turned, stunned, though he nodded in understanding.

"Of course it is. Even though we like to be happy, it's alright to be sad and angry, especially at times where these things are appropriate. It's okay to miss your parents and to be upset that life is distracting them from you, you just need to realize that things like these are temporary and will eventually pass."

He them smiled and drew the cub for a warm, comforting hug. "And don't you ever worry, kid. Me and the others always got your back". Bright Heart nodded, beginning to cheer up, before suddenly gaining a smile and jotting down the word 'back' on his paper. Loyal Heart chuckled and got up.

"There you go, that's the spirit. You just need to focus on the good thing sin your life. It helps distract you from the sad thing sand helps them go on faster." Bright Heart nodded and smiled, genuinely this time.

"You're right, thanks Loyal Heart." The dog nodded, before standing up.

"No problem kid. Now c'mon, you're on a roll. We've still got a few minutes left and I'm sure we can squeeze in a couple more words." Bright Heart nodded, this time more enthusiastically, before writing down the first part of his name. He giggled along with Loyal Heart as they resumed their quest for words beginning with 'B'.

* * *

"Sock, sail, slide, sugar, spoon, sponge, soap, slip," Grams said out loud. Everyone had returned and were now eagerly watching as Grams read the words. Tugs gleefully hopped in place while holding Proud Heart's hand. The cat seemed a bit tired, yet still pretty proud of her list.

"That's eleven words. Well done, you two," Grams said. As she went to the easel to mark down the tallies, Tugs cheered.

"Alright. Hugs and Gentle Heart. Let's see what you have." The pink cub confidently walked over and handed in the list. "Let me see, you had the letter 'R'. Red, raccoon, roller skate, rolling pin, race, rabbit, rainbow, run, room, and rug. That's ten words. Good job." Hugs frowned at the smaller amount of words then her brother, but otherwise looked pretty happy. She graciously thanked Gentle Heart and the others before sitting herself down.

"Bright Heart, Loyal Heart. It's your turn." The two came forward and handing the paper over. There was some gasp from the others, noticing that the paper had not only words on the front, but some on the back as well.

""Let's see; blue, brown, bird, ball, black, bark, bear, back, bright, buddy, branch, book, breeze, brother, broom, and boy." After pausing for a moment to count, she proudly announced, "Sixteen words!" There was another gasp from the audience, before the others clapped for the winning pair.

"Great job, you two," Hugs said.

"Yeah, figured you'd win. You're really smart," Tugs added. Bright Heart beamed.

"Thanks guys," he humbly replied.

"Alright everyone, you all did a wonderful job. Now, as I promised, there would be a prize for the winner of this game and for those who participated." She walked over to a nearby table where a cloth was draped over it, obscuring the items inside. Reaching under, she pulled out some colored ribbons for the cubs, who excitedly watched as she came over and placed them on their chests. Third-place white for Hugs, second-place red for Tugs, and first-place blue for Bright Heart.

"Congratulations everyone for playing. And, as a bonus for all your hard work, I have an additional prize for everyone."

With a flourish of the strength, the rest of the tablecloth came off. A cheer erupted from everyone as several napkins and glasses of milk stood against a pile of freshly-made, still warm cookies.

A minute later and everyone was seated either on the lawn or on the pillow cushions, happily enjoying their cookies and milk.

As Loyal Heart was finishing up his first, he felt someone sit down beside him, Looking to his side, he saw a napkin with another cookie being handed to him by Bright Heart. Smiling back, he graciously accepted the cookies, before playfully ruffling the kit's head.

While the two munched on their cookies, Bright Heart leaned closer to Loyal Heart. Today the young kit had found a newfound respect for the other Care Bear Cousins and him. Though he still dearly missed his parents, he felt that with them the time wouldn't seem as long.

* * *

**And done. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know I did. I thought it might be nice to include some of the other Care Bar Cousins, especially since the main character of this story is one of them. I thought it might be nice though to add some that haven't spent much time in the spotlight.**

**Anyways, thank you all so much for reading. Thanks again Niccunningham for requesting these stories and hope your birthday was fantastic. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	3. One Big Caring Family

**Poor little Bright Heart, he just seems to be getting every childhood illness all at once now does he, though, really, not completely uncommon. Aww well.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

A cough. Another one.

After dealing with several illnesses before, the Care Bear family was more then ready to deal with it.

Bright Heart had woken up in the morning, feeling kind of ill, though by the time he had gotten all his stuff ready and was about to head out the door he suddenly sank to his knees, his hands on his head while his brain swirled with a potent mixture of nausea and fatigue, combined with a blast of warmth on his forehead and red coloring on his face.

Noble Heart and True Heart were in the midst of getting out the door as well, although when they saw their son drop to the floor they immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over to his side. A quick scan over him revealed the fever and red rashes covering his body.

The verdict was final; he had chicken pox, he would be staying in bed, no school today.

With some mild protesting, interrupted by a fit of coughs, the kit surrendered himself to the strong arms of his father as was carried up the stairs and unto his room while True Heart went ahead and called the school regarding her son's absence today.

By the time she came up, carrying a warm, wet towel and some juice in a sippy cup, she came into the room with Noble Heart passing out tissues to his son, who was sniffing and wriggling comfortingly in bed. She cooed softly to him as she passed him the cup and placed the warm rag on his head. He moaned a bit, though managed to get a few sips down, before resuming sniffing pitifully.

"I hate being sick. Why does this keep happening to me," he asked. His parents frowned at the question as they went to collect his used snot-rags.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart. Some people tend to get sick a lot and, unfortunately, you seem to be getting a lot of illnesses lately," True Heart explained, moving on to adjusting his blankets and fluffing up his pillow.

"Chicken pox doesn't last too long in many cases and you should get better pretty soon." He paused, then smiled sympathetically at him. "Once you get better we're going to visit the doctor in order to see what we can do to prevent you from getting sick in the future. In the meanwhile, you go get some rest."

He nodded weakly, before turning his head and snuggling against the pillow.

* * *

"What? He's sick again?"

Noble Heart sighed, hearing the surprised voice of Tugs from across the phone. He had meant to call the school to alert Cheer and Grumpy Bear why his son wouldn't be present, though it was clear that the younger cubs had gotten to it first.

"Yes Tugs. It looks like Chickenpox."

"That's awful," came the voice of Hugs, clambering next to the phone and leaning in to listen. "I remember when me and Tugs got it. We felt just terrible."

"Mm hmm. That's why he's not going to be coming to school today. Could you both please pass the phone over to Cheer or Grumpy to let them know?" he asked.

"Okily-dokily," the two said in unison. Noble Heart flinched as he heart the sound of something heavy and plastic hitting the floor and then being ragged noisily across it. He sighed once more, guessing that the cubs were yanking the phone towards the teachers instead of asking them to come over.

"_No, no, don't do that! You need to be careful with that."_ His hand was brought up to his face as he heard Grumpy scolding the cubs in the background.

"Hello. Who is this?" The lighter, softer voice of Cheer Bear came through.

"Hello Cheer Bear, this is Noble Heart. I'm calling to tell you that Bright Heart has contracted the Chicken Pox and is unable to come to school today due to him being very ill."

He heard a gasp on the end of the other line, combined with the background noises of Grumpy trying to get the twins back in line.

"I'm very sorry to here that Noble Heart. Thank you for letting us know. We hope Bright Heart feels better soon," she replied.

"We hope so too," chorused the twin's voices in the background.

"Thank you all. Hope you have a wonderful day," he said, waiting a few seconds to hear their replies before he hung up.

* * *

"What was that all about," Grumpy said, once he had carefully placed the phone back in its proper place.

"Bright Heart is sick with the Chicken Pox and will be unable to come to school today," Cheer explain. The blue, typically melancholic bear bowed his head.

"Poor kid. What's this, the second time he's had to skip school due to an illness?" Cheer nodded, joining in his disappointment.

"Yeah, me and Tugs remember having Chicken Pox. It was just awful having it, so itchy and hot and cold and we were always coughing. Right Tugs?" Her twin nodded.

"Yeah, wish we could do something to help him out," he added. Cheer Bear smiled softly at their concern and came over to them.

"Well maybe there's something you can do. How's this for today's arts-and-crafts project; we do special get-well-soon cards for Bright Heart, then deliver them to him after class."

The twins immediately brightened up. "Yeah," they both replied. Immediately the two rushed over to the cabinets where they kept all the art supplies; the paper, crayons, glitter, stickers, glue, etc.; and brought it all to the table to begin their cards.

"Aren't you guys going to make some cards to," Hugs asked, noticing the lack of response from thew two adults. Both looked shocked for a moment, before Cheer looked at Grumpy with a pleading look.

"Well Grumpy, should we aid in card-making," she sweetly asked. He frowned, yet her pleading expression quickly won him over as he sat himself down at the table, got a sheet of paper, and began dutifully writing encouraging words inside of it. For a bear of a gloomy nature, he could be thoughtful and sympathetic at times.

* * *

"Mommy!"

"Oh sweetheart, don't scratch."

It had only been a few hours, but over that course of time, despite their best efforts, Bright Heart's condition only seemed to get worse. Where before he had but a few spots, now he was covered from head to toe in small, itchy, red spots. She tried to pull away his paws to prevent him from spreading the rash around, bit he wriggled in response.

"But it itches mommy," he protested. Sighing, she let go of his hands, where upon he immediately began scratching again.

"Well I've done almost everything I know for dealing with the chicken pox. It looks like we're going to have to take one step further. Wait right here darling."

She exited the room, leaving Bright Heart fussing on the bed, almost in tears from the itching, burning agony he was in. He whispered out his mother's name, feeling his throat itch as well from the dryness. He could hear her descend and ascend the stairs, before hearing her opening the bathroom door and turning on the faucet to the tub. Within seconds she returned, picking him up and carrying him towards the bathroom.

"I think this remedy might help with the itching a bit."

Looking over at the tub, which was already steaming from the warm water, he could make out a familiar cardboard box on the rim of the tub. He twisted his head in confusion as he read out the letters printed on the side. "Oatmeal?"

"Yes dear, oatmeal. You're going to be taking an oatmeal bath. It should help sooth your spots," she explained. Helping him wriggle out of his PJ's, she lifted him up and set him carefully into the tub.

Though his head still reeled with fever and he immediately felt hot from the water, his curiosity of the situation he was in gave him some consciousness to the state he was in. He ran his paws through the oatmeal saturated water, giggling a bit as he could partially feel some tiny particles of the grainy breakfast food his mom often made for him. Though the notion of food made his stomach roil, he still smiled at the thought of a warm bowl of oatmeal, topped with berries, honey, or maple syrup.

"Are you feeling a bit better honey," his mother asked, noticing his lack of crying. Though he suddenly felt very tired, he did notice that he didn't feel so itchy or hot after a while.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Smiling, True Heart went over to the drain and pulled the plug, before grabbing the shower head and giving him and the sides of the tub a quick rinse. She them carefully pulled him out of the tub and swaddled him in a fluffy, white towel with blue clouds and yellow stars on it.

"Are you feeling tired honey?"

His only response was a nod and the snuggling closer to his mother's chest, over her beating heart. Smiling softly, she walked him back to his room and placed him in his bed. She quickly untangled him from the towels before getting him in a fresh, new pair of pajamas. She then grabbed the nearby sippy cup of juice from his bedside table and handed it to him.

"Try to drink a little bit son, it will help with your throat and fever." Though he felt nauseous, he managed to down a few gulps of the fluid, grateful for the liquid. After a small burp, he handed the cup back to his mother and fell back onto his back.

True Heart took the cup back to it's original spot and pulled up the covers to his neck. She blew him a kiss as she tucked him in. "That's it son, get some rest. Your body needs both fluids and rest to recover." He weakly nodded in reply as he shut his tired eyes.

"Goodnight mommy," he whispered as she drifted off.

"Goodnight son," she whispered back, before retreating out the door quietly.

As she made her way down the stairs, the familiar form of er equine husband came into view, waiting patiently for her. "How's he doing?" he asked.

"Well he had a path, drank some juice, and now he's resting in bed. All we can do now in the meanwhile is let his immune system do its best," she replied. "Probably should start thinking about getting him some shots at the doctor's office when he recovers."

He nodded, agreeing that a trip to get vaccines would be better then dealing with another sick day, especially after the frequency of them occurring in the last few years.

"We'll make a phone call to the doctor's office in the morning, though in the meanwhile, I think there's something you should come see that probably will make both you and our son feel a bit better."

Gesturing for her to follow, she soon found herself standing on the front porch, staring at several Care Bear and Care Bear Cousins, each smiling sympathetically at them and with small gifts or cards.

"What's all this?" she asked. As if on cue, the twins stepped up before her, each presenting her with a handmade card. Both had crayon drawings of their family, complete with short, but sweet messages inside. Hugs' card had lace and heart stickers on it, along with some still drying, dripping glue, while Tug's had many star and rocket stickers on a wet, sparkly, messy glitter background. Both were a little messy, but the effort and investment into making them was self-evident.

"After we heard that Bright Heart was sick, we all pitched in to help make stuff to make him feel better," Hugs explained. Cheer them came up, placed a paw on each of their shoulders and smiled.

"It was their idea to get everyone involved in this project. We all wanted to make sure you knew that you have our love and support," she explained.

Grumpy Bear then stepped of, a slightly less grumpy expression on his face. "It took quite a bit to put this all together," he admitted, pausing a second before giving out a rare, small smile. "But you guys are worth it."

The two founders smiled, holding each other close before addressing their family."Thank you all. Thank you all so much for what you have done.

The cards given were numerous and each unique in their own right. Share Bear and Treat Heart Pig brought along some baked goods for them, while Funshine Bear, Cheer Bear, and Playful Heart Monkey brought some small toys and fun items to cheer Bright Heart up. Cozy Heart Penguin came prepared with some ice packs while Lotsa Heart Elephant and Harmony Bear brought along some scented candles and even some different scented soaps, for both the little kit and his parents.

The others all eventually came up, offered their condolences and support before leaving, until Tenderheart Bear and Brave Heart Lion were last. They each had a card to give, but stayed a bit longer to talk.

"We sincerely hope Bright Heart gets better soon. We all know what it was like to be sick," Tenderheart said.

Noble Heart nodded. "Yes, if I recall some of you really were in bad shape when you got sick," he reminded.

"Yeah, well, we owe it to you both that we were able to get better quickly and that we are now healthy." He playfully puffed out his chest in pride.

True Heart giggled. "Yes, and we couldn't be happier that we were there and that we got to see you grow up into the considerate, compassionate beings you are today."

The two younger creatures smiled warmly at their caretakers and leaders. "Well we couldn't be happier to have you as amazing parents," Tenderheart explained.

"Yes indeed," Brave Heart agreed. "We should probably start heading home and getting ready to turn in for the night. A good night to you and your son. Hope he feels better tomorrow."

"Yes, goodnight you guys," Tenderheart added, before waving goodbye.

The two parents waved their farewells before heading back inside, both carrying in the cards and gifts their adopted children had brought hem and with a bright smile on their faces and a warm feeling within their hearts.

A feeling of pride and thankfulness towards the children they had raised.

* * *

A while later and the two walked into Bright Heart's room, peering at him from the doorway. The kit was fast asleep, no longer fussing or wriggling in his bed. The red rashes had begun to lessen and shrink on his body and he looked peaceful at the moment.

The two smiled, feeling more reassured that he would be making a quicker recovery then previous thought.

Slowly and quietly they shut the door, leaving the kit fast asleep under the soft rays of silver moonlight and the twinkling lights of the stars above.

Peace and serenity had come across their home this night and they couldn't have asked for anything better.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to include some of the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins, as I do feel like they deserve more attention and love. I really like to think of them as one, big, happy family that looks out for everyone and has everyone's best interests at heart. In this story, with their parents having their own son, they just see him as another part of the family. **

**Anyways, thanks ****Niccunningham**** for the story request, sorry it took so long for me to get it out there. Hope the rest of you enjoyed, please leave a like/review, and I will see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	4. Big Adoptive Siblings

**Sorry for being away for so long guys, I had to finish up my college work before I could find time to get this chapter done. To be honest I'm really excited about this one, since I've doing a lot of sickness-focused chapters lately, doing something with Hugs and Tugs first meeting and accepting their role as Bright Heart's adopted siblings is a real joy for me.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

By the time True and Bright Heart had been discharged from the hospital, shortly after his birth, the entire Kingdom of Care-A-Lot was in a flurry. After a week of letting the parents recover and get to know their newborn, an invite had been sent out for a party in their honor. A chance to introduce the newest member of the Care Bear family was something everyone was more then eager to partake in.

Almost everyone at least.

Up until this point, the youngest members of the Care Bear family had been the twin bear cubs, Hugs and Tugs. Barely in their toddler years and still in diapers, the two were the babies of the family up until this point. still very young and very inexperienced, they did not so much share the excitement for the purpose of the party, rather the fact that it was indeed a party, with the underlying promise that there would be cake and possibly presents somewhere along the lines.

The twins were sitting in a corner patiently with their main caretakers Grams, quietly playing by themselves with some toys they brought along while the other Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins chatted and mingled happily.

Suddenly, everything changed dramatically as the door opened and in came in the Founders, True Heart first, carrying an orange bundle with something inside it, and Noble Heart, holding the door open for his wife and child.

Almost immediately afterwards, everyone, including Grams, got up from where they were and rushed over to the them, leaving the twins staring at them in confusion. Their confusion soon turned to curiosity though as True Heart and her blanketed bundle were escorted to the armchair where Grams had been sitting just a minute ago. The vanilla cream bear softly sat herself down and adjusted her load in her arms. With a proud smile towards the eager audience, she slowly undid the part covering her precious treasure's face.

The room was suddenly filled with soft awws and coos from everyone presence, along with whispered compliments and congratulations towards the baby raccoon snuggled and asleep in her arms. By this point, the twins' curiosity had peaked and they got up from their toys on the floor and toddled over to one of the arms on the chair, staring confusedly at the child.

"Why is he so small?" Tugs asked, her voice at normal range, but loud for the atmosphere of the room.

"Yeah, and why is he asleep?" Hugs added. She and her brother were hanging from the height of the armchair's arm and kicking their shoes against the side of it.

A chorus of shh's erupted from the other Care Bears and Cousins, causing the twins to flinch in surprise and for little Bright Heart to wriggle in his sleep. Everyone froze and watched quietly as he squirmed for a moment before settling back down again.

"He so small because he's a baby and he's sleeping because that's what babies do," True Heart replied in a soft, quiet tone. The cubs nodded in understanding before trying to pull themselves up onto the chair's arm.

"So why is-"

"SHHH!"

Tugs and Hugs flinched again as the audience quieted them down again, placing fingers before their mouths in order to indicate that whispered tone were needed here.

"So why is he the center of attention?" Tugs asked, quieter this time, now leaning in to try and get a better look of the baby.

"Because he's the newest member of our family," Tenderheart explained, stepping up to the front of the crowd. "Whenever we have someone new join our family, we throw a party to make them feel welcomed and to introduce them to the family."

Tugs and Hugs nodded, though quickly grew confused and indignant expressions on our face.

"How come we didn't get a party when we first were introduced." Hugs asked.

"You did my little ones, you were just too young to remember it," Grams explains, coming over and picking them both up into her arms. "With Bright Heart being the newest addition to the family, you both are now the ones who are going to have to teach him and be his friend and playmate."

At the word 'playmate' both kids perked up.

"Playmate? He can be out playmate," Hugs asked, excitement rising in her voice. Even the new round of shh's didn't deter her joy.

"Can he play with us now, Grams? Huh? Huh! Can he, can he?" Tugs asked, bouncing in her arms. Grams Bear chuckled and set them carefully down on the floor.

"Soon my dear, soon. Bright Heart will need to grow a bit more before he is ready to play with you," she explained. Both cubs sighed in disappointment, but nodded in response.

As the party went on, True Heart eventually regained enough strength and passed along their child to his father in order to get around and mingle. Noble Heart took that as a sign to go around and invite the others to get a good look at his child and hold him for a while. Everyone clambered as much as they could around the horse, eager to get to see and possibly hold the newborn raccoon.

All except for the twins, who had returned to their spot on the floor with their toys. However, they paid them no heed, their attention locked onto Noble Heart, the other Care Bears and Cousins, and the baby being passed around. They frowned as they watched the infant get showered with love and affection from all of them, while they were left unlooked.

When the time came that Grams walked up to hold Bright Heart, the two felt a spark of jealously ignite in them and decided to take action. Getting up to their meet, they made their way to the group and towards Grams. Taking advantage of a nearby chair, they pulled themselves onto it, giving themselves a clear view and close proximity to both their caretaker and the baby. By now the baby was wide awake and staring in wonder at the world and the people around him.

When the young raccoon kit's eyes fell upon the twins staring beside him, he immediately squealed in delight and waved his arms and kicked his legs. Grams took notice of where he was looking and slowly brought him closer to the cubs, presenting him before them.

"Would you like to see the baby?"

The two, standing up, were at a height on the chair where they were almost at adult height, but still a little lower. At the height that Bright Heart was being held, he was slightly lower then they were.

This information is important, as so, because they were within reaching distance to the infant and the chair';s back wasn't too high or blocking their reach, the two cubs had little trouble reaching their paws over to the little kit's body.

Whereupon they immediately pinched one of his arms and his foot each.

Whereupon Bright Heart immediately started crying.

Noble Heart, who had been standing patiently next to them this entire ordeal, stepped into action once the noise returned again, part from his son crying and mostly from Grams and the other Care Bears and Cousins scolding them for pinching and causing him to cry. The twins had been painfully shocked by how loudly the baby was crying and, combined with all the scolding they were receiving, were now upon the verge of crying themselves. Fortunately, Noble Heart quickly stepped in.

"Oops, looks like Bright Heart here is crying because he needs a diaper change," he announced, trying to make his voice known among the chaos. He then focused on the twins in general, who now had quivering lips and bright, tearing eyes. He smiled warmly at them, trying to calm them down before the number of crying cubs went any higher.

"How about you two come with me and help me out?" He suggested.

While many of the others present looked shocked or appalled by the idea of these two mischievous bears doing anything more with the baby, the twins were all to eager to get out of this situation where they were being reprimanded and chastised. Scrambling down from the chair, they trailed after Noble Heart as he exited the room.

The four of them, or three plus one baby, made their way into the living room, then turned around, went up the stairs, and into the baby's room. There all the baby's furniture, including a crib, diaper-changing station, and chairs had been all set up, along with the addition of a sofa. As they entered the room, Noble Heart gestured the two to sit down on the couch. The two immediately obeyed, getting up, sitting down on the cushions, arms folded in their laps and head bent down shamefully.

Then Noble Heart, one of the two original founders of the Care Bear Family and leader of the Care Bear Cousin clan, with sniffling baby in hand, stood before the two pinching perpetrators.

"Now then, now that we're all a little bit more calm now, let's start from the beginning," he started, his voice stern, but not frightening. "Why did you both think it was a good idea to pinch the baby?"

The two squirmed uneasily under his firm stare and question. Seconds passed before Tugs decided to be the first to look up and explain.

"We- we don't really like the baby," Tugs confessed, shrinking down even more under Noble Heart's gaze.

"He's too little, he get's everybody's attention, and he's not really fun," Hugs continued, watching her thumbs twiddle in her lap.

"Yeah, and we can't play with him either. He's not very fun," Tugs added on. His head then dropped back down again.

"I see," Noble Heart said after a moment. He then stood up tall, bouncing his son in his arms to try and calm him down more. "Well, it would appear that I need to give you a little talk about babies and how you act around them. Excuse me."

With that, he walked towards the couch, the two cubs scooting over so that he could sit himself down right in-between them. Settling Bright Heart in his lap, he reached over and pulled the cubs back in close towards his lap, making sure they could see both his face and the baby alright. Bright Heart had now recovered and now was contently sucking his thumb and rocking back and forth on his little back. The twins watched in silent awe at his antics.

"You see you two, Bright Heart here is a baby, and babies can't do most of the things you can do yet. He's still too little to walk or talk or even lift his head up by himself. We need to feed him and wash him and take care of him a bit more because he is unable to do these stuff on his own," Noble Heart explained. "I know you both want to play with him, but at this age he doesn't know yet how to play and he's still learning to do things like control his emotions and understand things."

He paused and the cubs loomed up at him, eagerly awaiting his continued explanation. "Which is why he needs people like me and his mother to raise and take care of him. And he also needs Care Bears like _you both_ as well."

"Us? Why us?" Hugs asked.

"Yeah, what can we do?" Tugs asked as well. Noble Heart smiled and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You can be like his big brother and sister to him. You can show him all the things you like to do and be someone he can learn from. You can teach him all the important things that we Care Bears know and do. Now, it won't be easy being his adopted brother and sister, but I have faith that you both can step up the plate and be the best big brother and sister of all time, if you put forth the initiative to do so."

The twins solemnly looked up at him in awe, pondering his words and silently accepted them. For a moment at least, before an awful smell filled the air and their noses crinkled in disgust before it was covered by their paws.

"What is that awful smell," Hugs asked, behind her paws. Noble Heart frowned and picked up Bright Heart, still rocking about on his lap.

"Oops, looks like you really _do_ need a diaper change buddy. Pardon me cubs," he exclaimed, before getting up and headed over to the diaper changing station. The kit squeaked and huffed with the change in place and movement, but did not cry like he did earlier.

"Alrighty then, now where is the baby powder and the diapers? Let me see..."

The cubs were still sitting on the couch, patiently waiting to him to finish what he was doing. While he muttered and looked around, their eyes fell upon to the opposite side of the room where a bag with some diapers and a bottle clearly labeled 'Baby Powder' sat unnoticed.

The two of them stared at it, then each other, then, simultaneously thinking what the other way, nodded. Keeping a paw on their nose at all times, they hopped off the couch and ran over to the bag. It was a small green one, but with one arm each it would be heavy. The twins solved this dilemma by grabbing one strap each and pulling it towards Noble Heart. The horse took notice of what they were doing and smiled gratefully at the as they plopped it down near his feet.

"Much appreciated you two," he said. They smiled, partially covered by their hands on their noses, and both gave him a thumbs up with their free hand.

* * *

It was in the evening when the party had winded down and almost everyone had left for home. All who were left were True and Noble Heart, their son, Grams Bear, and the twins. The new mother and father were currently sitting in the kitchen, sipping sweet tea from mugs as they peered out the kitchen door towards the living room and smiled at the wholesome sight before them.

The twins and their lilac senior caretaker were up on the couch, the twins holding little Bright Heart in-between them. Both had their arms extended to each other, acting as a little cradle for Bright Heart, bundled up in a blanket, to rest in. The two were in awe, watching silently as the little kit yawned and murmured in his sleep. Grams Bear was watching dutifully overhead, instructing the cubs how to correctly hold his head.

The two parent smiled, feeling accomplished with themselves. The twins were already fitting in to the role of older siblings to their child and hopefully as he grew so would they alongside them.

* * *

**And so it came to be that Tugs and Hugs became his honorary adoptive siblings. Hope you enjoyed, thank for reading, please leave a review, and goodnight. Sincerely, v.t.7**


End file.
